Feb. 7, 2012
LOGAN, Utah - TIP OFF - Utah State women's basketball (15-6, 6-1 WAC) returns home after a three-game road trip for a brief two-game home stand. USU will take on Louisiana Tech on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 4 p.m. The game is the first half of a doubleheader with the Aggie men's basketball team who will also take on LTU at 7 p.m. Utah State will conclude the homestand on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 4 p.m. against New Mexico State. It will be televised live on KMYU-TV (Comcast Ch. 22, Dish Network Ch. 12, Over-the-Air 2.2) throughout the state of Utah with Mychal Clanton (play-by-play) and Brooks Hansen (analyst) calling the action.
USU Notes vs. LTU
HOME AWAY FROM HOME - Utah State has won its first five road WAC games with wins against Idaho, Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, San Jose State and Hawai`i.Overall, the Aggies have won six-straight road games which is a Utah State record. Last year, USU ended WAC action 4-4 in on the road. Overall, the Aggies are 8-4 on the road in 12 games. The eight road wins ties an Aggie record as the 1975-76 team went 8-6 on the road. USU ended the 2010-11 season with a 7-8 record away from the friendly confines of the Dee Glen Smith Spectrum.
PLAY 4 KAY - On Saturday afternoon, the USU women's basketball team will be taking on New Mexico State in a 4 p.m. tipoff in the women's hoops annual "Play 4Kay" fund raiser. All fans who wear pink will receive free admission. The first 500 fans in attendance will receive a pink T-shirt. There will be donation sheets available at the USU marketing and promotions table located on the west concourse behind section S. All funds collected will be donated to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. To donate online or for more information on the Kay Yow Cancer Fund, visit play4kay.org/utahstateaggies.
THE OPPONENT - Louisiana Tech (11-11, 4-3 WAC) is 12-2 overall against Utah State, but the Aggies captured the first meeting between the teams on Jan. 14, 79-62. This was the second time that USU has defeated the Lady Techsters in Ruston also completing the feat during the 2009-10 season. Louisiana Tech had won three-straight games before dropping a tough 61-59 game to first-place Fresno State on Feb. 4.
Shantale Bramble-Donaldson leads the team in scoring, averaging 11.0 points and 7.2 ppg. Jasmine Bendolph scores 9.7 points and averages 6.0 assists per game. As a team, the Lady Techsters score 66.9 ppg, while allowing 66.1 ppg.
AGGIES VS LOUISIANA TECH IN THE WAC2005-06Louisiana Tech 73, USU 56 (Logan)Louisiana Tech 88, USU 54 (Ruston)2006-07Louisiana Tech 69, USU 54 (Ruston)Louisiana Tech 71, USU 58 (Logan)2007-08Louisiana Tech 71, USU 56 (Logan)Louisiana Tech 62, USU 46 (Ruston)2008-09Louisiana Tech 90, USU 82 (Logan)Louisiana Tech 53, USU 46 (Ruston)2009-10USU 69, Louisiana Tech 66 (Ruston)Louisiana Tech 74, USU 54 (Logan)Louisiana Tech 82, USU 65 (Reno, Nev. WAC Tournament)2010-11Louisiana Tech 91, USU 74 (Ruston)Louisiana Tech 78, USU 70 (Logan)2011-12USU 79, Louisiana Tech 62 (Ruston)Total 2-12
HALF-WAY POINT - Half way through the WAC season, Utah State is off to its best start since joining the league. The Aggies are currently 6-1 in WAC games. Last season, USU set the record for conference wins since joining the WAC with a 10-6 record. Utah State's best-ever record in any conference was when it went 11-2 in the Intermountain Athletic Conference during the 1974-75 season.
LAST FOUR - In the Aggies' four-straight wins, Utah State has out-scored its opponents 79.0 to 66.8. The Aggies have shot 45.7 percent in the last quartet of games. USU has 48 steals and 73 assists in the last four WAC wins.
BRINGING THE DEFENSE - Utah State is 7-0 when it opponents score under 60 points or less. The Aggies have wins against Wyoming, Northern Arizona, Boise State, Asbury, Utah Valley, New Mexico State and Hawai`i.
RECORD SETTING AGGIES - In Utah State's win over Nevada on Jan. 21, the Aggies set a school record for field goal percentage in a game, shooting 58.6 percent from the field (34-of-58). The record was previously held by the 1982 Aggie squad that shot 58.3 percent against New Mexico State in 1982. In that game, Utah State defeated New Mexico State, 105-98.
MAKING HISTORY - This is only the third time that Utah State has reached the 15-win mark. Most recently, the 2010-11 squad set the record for wins in a season going 18-15 last season. This is the third time under Coach Pebley that Utah State has won at least 15 games. The Aggies have seven regular-season games left this year.
BEST WAC START - The Aggies are off to their best WAC start since joining the league for the 2005-06 season. Utah State is off to a 6-1 start through the first seven conference games. Last year, USU began league action with a 4-3 record. The Aggies have wins over Idaho, New Mexico State, San Jose State, Louisiana Tech and Hawai`i on the road and a win over Nevada at home. USU's only loss game against first-place Fresno State.
AGGIES IN THE WAC STATS - Ashlee Brown is fourth in the league in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game. Brown is third in the league in rebounding with 8.7 rpg. Senior Maddy Plunkett is first in the league in three-point shooting (47.1 percent). Brooke Jackson is still first in free throw percentage (86.4 percent). Devyn Christensen is still second in the league in free throw percentage, shooting 85.3 percent.
As a team, USU is second behind Fresno State in scoring offense, averaging 71.9 points per game. The Aggies, Louisiana Tech and the Bulldogs are the only two teams in the league with positive scoring margins with USU holding a +6.5. The Aggies are still first in free throw percentage (75.9). USU is still first in field goal percentage, shooting 43.8 percent this season. Utah State is also first in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 38.3 percent from beyond the arc.
BRINGING DOWN THE O BOARDS - Ashlee Brown is first in the WAC in offensive rebounds, averaging 3.86 per game. Overall she has brought down 81 offensive rebounds this season. She is just ahead of Hawai`i's Kamilah Jackson who averages 3.50 offensive boards per game. Overall, Brown averages 8.7 rpg with a total of 183 rebounds this season. The senior added to that total with 10 offensive boards in the win against San Jose State on Feb. 2.
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR USU? - Ashlee Brown is the only player in the conference to lead her squad in points, rebounds, steals, assists and blocks this season. She is tops in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg). Despite being a forward, she is still first on the team in assists (2.4 apg) and steals (2.1 spg). Brown is the top shot blocker on the team (1.1 bpg).
HAPPY NEW YEAR - Utah State has loved the 2012 portion of the season so far. USU is 8-1 in 2012 after going 6-1 in the month of January and 1-0 so far in February. The Aggies only loss in February came to first-place Fresno State on Jan. 19 in Logan.
SHARING THE LEAD ROLE - USU has had five different players lead the team in scoring, led by Ashlee Brown taking the honors nine times, followed by Devyn Christensen eight times and Brooke Jackson doing so in four games. Banna Diop and Maddy Plunkett have been leading scorers in one game each.
AGGIES IN WAC OPENERS - Utah State is now 4-3 in WAC openers winning the last three on the road at New Mexico State in 2012 and at Louisiana Tech in 2010 and at home against Boise State in 2011. This was the first time since USU joined the league that the Aggies of Utah State faced the Aggies of New Mexico State in a league opener. Utah State is now 2-1 in WAC openers on the road.
USU IN WAC OPENERS (4-3)2005-06 L, vs. San Jose State, 51-632006-07 L, vs. Boise State, 70-802007-08 W, vs. San Jose State, 68-582008-09 L, at Idaho, 63-712009-10 W, at Louisiana Tech, 69-662010-11 W, vs. Boise State, 69-572011-12 W, at New Mexico State, 74-56
AGGIES IN THE NCAA STATS - In the most recent NCAA Statistics (Feb. 6), Utah State is still 20th in the nation in free-throw percentage, shooting 75.9 percent from the charity stripe. Delaware is now first in the nation, shooting 81.9 percent. The Aggies are also now up to fifth in the country in three-point field goal percentage (38.3 percent). Loyola Chicago leads the nation, shooting 40.4 percent from three. The Aggies sharp shooting continues as they are 21st in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 43.8 percent.
In the latest RPI the Aggies are ranked 125 which is second in the WAC behind Fresno State which is 60.
PEBLEY REACHES A MILESTONE - USU head coach Raegan Pebley reached a milestone with her 100th career win against Louisiana Tech on Jan. 14. Pebley is in her ninth season at Utah State and is first in career wins for a women's basketball coach at USU.
AGAINST THE BEEHIVE STATE - Utah State ended non-conference play with a 2-1 record against teams from the Beehive State USU earned a 73-63 win against Weber State on Nov. 16. The Aggies then fell to BYU 73-65 on Dec. 17. USU improved to 2-1 against the state of Utah with a 61-43 win against Utah Valley on Jan. 7.
UP NEXT - After concluding a lengthy three-game road trip at San Jose State and Hawai`i this week, Utah State will return home next week for a pair of doubleheaders with the USU men's team. On Thursday, Feb. 9, the Aggies will host Louisiana Tech at 4 p.m. with the men's team taking on the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Feb. 11, USU faces New Mexico State at 4 p.m. with the Aggie men taking on NMSU prior to the women's game at 1 p.m. The women's game against NMSU can be seen live on KMYU in Utah.
BROWN HONORED BY THE WAC AGAIN - Senior forward Ashlee Brown has been named the Verizon Western Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 30-Feb. 5. Brown also collected the America First Credit Union Utah State Student-Athlete of the Week award for the period ending Sunday, Feb. 5, an award that is voted on by a state-wide media panel.
This is the third WAC Player of the Week honor of the season for Brown and the fifth of her career. The senior becomes the first Utah State women's basketball player to earn WAC Player of the Week honors three times in one season.
The Chandler, Ariz., native led the Aggies to a pair of road wins at San Jose State (78-73) and Hawai`i (69-55). In the win over the Spartans, she posted her sixth double-double of the season with game highs of 30 points and 14 rebounds. She also helped USU erase a 12-point second-half deficit with five steals, three assists and two blocks. In the win over the Rainbow Wahine, Brown scored 11 points and added five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in 29 minutes. For the week, she averaged 20.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.5 steals, 3.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game, all above her season averages.
STARTING FIVE- In 20 games this season, Utah State has used five different lineups. Ashlee Brown is the only Aggie to have started all 20 games this season. Jenna Johnson has been in the starting give for 13 of USU's 18 games. Jennifer Schlott has started nine out of 16 games, while Brooke Jackson has been in the starting five eight times. Chelsea Burns started the first four games of the season until an injury ended her season. Freshman Elise Nelson earned her first career start against BYU on Dec. 17. Nine different players have started at least one game this season for USU. The Aggies have had the same starting lineup, Nelson, Brown, Johnson, Devyn Christensen and Maddy Plunkett the last 10 games.
AGGIES LOSE BURNS TO INJURY - Utah State women's basketball junior guard/forward Chelsea Burns has been medically disqualified due to a knee injury. The injury is similar to the one that kept her out of the entire 2009-10 season.
Burns, a native of Carlsbad, Calif, started the first four games of the season and played in five this season. She averaged 10.8 minutes. 0.8 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. The junior has been diagnosed with an osteochondral defect and a meniscus tear and will have knee surgery on December 15. Burns graduated at the end of the fall semester with a degree in law and constitutional studies and will begin her master's of education next semester.
HOME OPENERS - Utah State is now 8-14 in home openers and 3-6 under Coach Pebley after the Aggies defeated Weber State, 73-63 on Nov. 16.Prior to the win over the Wildcats, the last time the Aggies won a home opener was a 67-58 win against in-state rival Utah in 2009. Last season, USU fell to Dixie State in its home and season opener, 71-67. Under Coach Pebley, Utah State is 1-2 against Weber State in home openers.
LAST TIME OUT - For only the second time since joining the Western Athletic Conference, the Utah State women's basketball team captured both ends of the lengthy road trip at San Jose State and at Hawai`i as the Aggies defeated the Rainbow Wahine 69-55 at the Stan Sheriff Center on Saturday night. This is the first time since the 2008-09 season that USU won both of those road games.
With the win, the Aggies are now 15-6 overall and 6-1 in the WAC which is their best start ever. For the first time in school history, Utah State is now 5-0 on the road in conference games. The Aggies have now won six-straight games on the road overall. Hawai`i falls to 8-14 overall and 3-4 in league play.
Junior guard Devyn Christensen scored a season-high 25 points, including the first 15 points of the game. Senior guard Brooke Jackson scored 16 points and added three three-pointers. Senior forwards Ashlee Brown and Maddy Plunkett both scored 11 points in the win.
ADMISSION - Admission to Utah State's women's basketball games is $5 for adults, $1 for youth. A woman's sports pass is also available for $50. Contact the USU Athletics Ticket Office at (435) 797-0305 or at 1-888-U-STATE-1 (1-888-878-2831) for more information or visit the Utah State athletic web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
TURNING 24 - The 2011-12 season marks the 24th year of women's basketball at USU, and just the ninth since the program was restarted prior to the 2003-04 season. The women's hoops program at USU had been disbanded following the 1987 season due to budget cuts. USU is playing in its seventh season in the WAC after playing its first two seasons in the Big West Conference.
AGGIES IN THE PRESEASON POLLS - Utah State women's basketball was selected second in the Western Athletic Conference coaches' poll and third in the media poll. Both predictions are the highest for USU since joining the WAC. Last season, the Aggies were picked seventh in both the coaches' and the media poll.
Senior forward Ashlee Brown made Utah State women's basketball history by becoming the first Aggie to earn WAC Preseason Player of the Year honors when she was awarded the honor by both the coaches and the media. Brown, who averaged 15.2 points per game last season, is the top scorer returning in the WAC. Last season, Brown was the WAC's Newcomer of the Year and earned first-team all-WAC honors.
The Aggies received 40 points in the WAC coaches' poll, including two of the eight first-place votes. Defending WAC regular season-champion, Louisiana Tech, was picked first with 47 points, including five-first place votes. Fresno State, the 2011 WAC Tournament champions, was picked third with 36 points and the final first-place vote. Nevada placed fourth with 33 points, followed by Hawai`i with 22 points. New Mexico State was picked to finish in sixth place with 18 points, while Idaho was just a point behind with 17 points to finish in seventh place. The coaches' poll was rounded out by San Jose State in eighth place with 11 points.
In the media poll, Utah State was voted third with 126 points, including three first-place votes. As with the coaches' poll, Louisiana Tech was picked first with 144 total points and 13 first-place votes. The only difference between the polls was that Fresno State took second-place in the media poll with 129 points and three first-place votes. Nevada earned the fourth spot with 80 points, followed by Hawai`i with 72. The media poll was rounded out with New Mexico State in sixth with 59 points, while Idaho (52 points) and San Jose State (22 points) were picked to finish seventh and eighth, respectively.
AGGIES ON THE RADIO/WEB - All Utah State games can be heard on KLGN (1390 AM) in Logan with Craig Hislop taking the reigns this season. They can also be heard on the web by going to the Utah State Athletics home page at www.UtahStateAggies.com and clink on the "Listen Live" link in the right hand column.
GAMETRACKER - Fans can follow Aggie home games through the USU web site at www.UtahStateAggies.com via GameTracker, a free service, which updates play-by-play and statistics throughout the game.
ON THE INTERNET - All of Utah State's home games are available to watch live through Utah State TV via the internet at www.UtahStateAggies.com.
HEAD COACH Raegan Pebley - Raegan Pebley is entering her ninth season as head coach at Utah State, which is the longest tenure in the program's history. Five games into the 2007-08 season, Pebley overtook the lead for the most games coached in Utah State history (116). She has now coached 255 games for the Blue and White and has 104 wins as Aggie head coach, which is first ahead of Fern Gardner (55) on the all-time win list.
